A pilot helping fight a major bushfire on Australia's east coast died on Friday after his helicopter crashed, police said.
The only person on board, he was found dead shortly after the "waterbombing" helicopter crashed near the town of Woodburn in southern New South Wales, police said.
No further details were immediately available, but Australian Associated Press reported that the aircraft, a 1994 Kawasaki BK117, had crashed into a tree.
New South Wales, which the government last week declared to be in "100 per cent" drought, is currently fighting dozens of bushfires across the state.
The out-of-control fire near Woodburn, known as the Mount Kingiman bushfire, had spread to almost 1,700 hectares as of Friday morning.
A fire engine is parked near a bushfire in New South Wales, Australia, earlier this week.
